The invention relates to the field of measurement, recording and/or tracking devices used to monitor the deflections and deformations of a variety of objects and structures. Such structures may be aircraft wings, wind turbine and helicopter blades, tall towers, tall buildings and structures, long-bed rail and trucking bodies, tracked vehicles, bridges, tunnels, elevated roadways, amusement park rides, ship and sailboat masts and decks, crane and hoist booms, and utility transmission cables and wires.